Oilcan operator



Oct. 17, 1950 w, TEMPLETON I 2,526,436

OILCAN OPERATOR Filed March 4, 1947' Patented Oct. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OILOAN OPERATOR William G. Templeton, Statesville, N. 0., v 7

Application March 4, 1947, Serial No. 732,329

Claims.

This invention relates to operatordevices for dispensing containers of the oil-can type.

My invention is designed for use in connection with dispensing containers of the type having an outwardly bowed resilient bottom wall which is deflected inwardly to discharge liquid from the spout of the container. In using an oil-can of this type, the person using the can usually deflects the bottom wall of the can by the thumb, and where thousands of places are to be oiled daily, the hand becomes fatigued from the manual efiort required to operate the oil can. One object of the invention is to devise a mechanical operator for deflecting the bottom wall of the can instead of deflecting it by the thumb.

Another object of the invention is.to devise an operator in which the force required for deflecting the bottom wall of the can is obtained by .a squeezing or gripping action of the hand.

Still another object of the invention is to devise an operator which support the dispensing can in a position such that the spout of the can is normally directed in substantially the same direction as the forearm of the person using the can. For this purpose my operator is provided with a handle shaped like a pistol grip and the can is supported on the device with the spout of the can in the same relative position to the handle as the barrel of a pistol with respect to its handle.

Still another object of the invention is to construct the operator as a unitary structure provided with novel means for quickly attaching and detaching the operator to and from the bottom flange of the dispensing can.

Two separate modifications of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevationalview, shown partly in section, illustrating one form of my oil-can operator;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the operator of Figure 1 with the can removed;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of Figure 1 taken along the line 33; I

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view, shown mostly in section, illustrating a second form of operator according to my invention; and

Figure 5 is a front View of the operator of Figure iwith the can removed therefrom.

Referring to the drawing, an oil-can of conventional construction is illustrated at I. This can is provided with an outwardly bowed resilient bottom wall-Ia which is surrounded by a cylindrical flange lb having the lower edge thereof turned inwardly to form a bead or ledge Ic by which the operator is secured to the can, as will be explained more fully below. The can is provided with a dispensing spout id extending along the axis of the can.

The operator device for deflecting the bottom wall la of the-can is constructed as a unit and adapted to be detachably secured to the bottom of the can by suitable locking means. The operator device comprises a base plate 2 having a shape conforming with the shape of the base of the can, and in the example shown in the drawing, this plate is of circular shape. On the front face of" the plate 2, a circular flange 2a is provided which fits snugly inside of the bead lc formed on the flange lb of the can. A pair of fixed locking fingers 2b and 2c are mounted on the plate 2 and extend over the bead lc on the opposite side from the plate 2 as shown in Figure '1. A releasable latch member is mounted on the plate 2 directly opposite from the fingers 2b and 2c and" is formed of a sliding block 3 provided with a finger 3a positioned to extend behind the bead lc in the same manner as locking fingers 2b and 2c. The block 3 is provided with a stem 31) at its rear end which passes through a hole formed in a bracket. 2d mounted on the plate 2. The latch block 3 is normally urged outwardly into its locking position by means of a spring 30 positioned between the block 3 and the bracket 2d and surrounding the stem 3b. The block 3 is guided in its radial movement by means of a screw 3d which is threaded into the block and passes through a radial slot 2e formed in the plate 2. The screw 3d also serves as a clamping screw for locking the latch block 3 in its locking position as shown in Figure l. The operator device may be quickly removed from the can by turning screw 3d to unclamp the locking block 3 and then by pressing the screw 3d radially inward until the end of the locking finger 3a passes beyond the inner edge of the bead Is.

On the back face of the plate 2 a sleeve-like socket 4 is provided which receives the forward end or shank of a handle 5 formed of pistol-grip shape. The handle 5 may be formed of wood, plastic material, or other suitable material, and maybe secured in the socket by suitable fastening means represented by thev screws 4a and 4b.

An operating plunger is mounted in the forward end of the handle 5 and consists of a stem 6 positioned within a boreforlmed in the handle 5 and passing through a hole formed in the center of the plate 2 and provided with a cup-like head 6a adjacent the center of the bottom wall aseaese Ha of the can. The plunger head 8a carries a tip or contact piece 5b preferably formed of resilient material such as rubber or cork, although this piece may be omitted and the plunger may bear dhectly against the wall la.

The deflecting plunger is operated by means of a trigger or operating lever l positioned in front of the gripping portion of the handle 5 and pivoted at 'Ed in the cavity 5a formed in the handle. The upper "end of the lever 'i is bifurcated as shown at it in Figure 3, and the two prongs of the upper end of the lever extend into notches 50 formed on opposite sides of the stem 6 near the rear end thereof.

The operation of Figure l is as follows: the parts are shown in their normal or unoperated position. The natural resilience of the wall la maintains the plunger 8 in its rear position the trigger F is held in its forward position wi respect to the grip portion of the handle 5. When the trigger l is moved towards the handle 5 by gripping action of the hand, the upper end of the trigger forces the plunger 6 forward and deiiects the bottom wall la inwardly and ejects oil or other liquid from the spout Id of the can. Upon release of the grip on the trigger, the wall la returns to its normal position and restores the trigger to the position shown in Figure i.

In the modified construction shown in Figures and 5, the arrangement is substantially the same as in Figure 1 except that the plunger and trigger elements are combined into one structure and are mounted in a different manner. In this arrangement, the trigger 8, instead of having its pivotal support located in the cavity Ea of the handle 5, is pivotally supported by a pin mounted in a bracket 2g carried on the front face of the plate 2. As shown in Figures and 5, the bracket 21) is positioned away from the center of the plate 2, and the trigger 8 extends upwardly from the pin 8a and is curved to pass through the hole 2 in the plate 2 and then is curved downwardly, passing out through the cavity 5a of the handle 5 and extending in front of the grip portion of the handle Instead of using a plunger like that shown in Figure l, the trigger 8 has an arm 82) that extends upwardly from the pivot pin 8a to a position substantially at the center of the plate 2, and the upper end of this arm carries a tip or contact piece arranged to engage the deflectable wall la near the center thereof. The tip to is preferably formed of resilient material such as rubber or cork.

The operation of the arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 5 is believed to be clear from the drawing and the foregoing description. When the lower end of the trigger 8 is pressed towards the grip portion of the handle 5, the extension arm 82) of the trigger swings about the pin 8a and the contact piece 80 deflects the wall la to operate the can. Upon release of the trigger, the resilient wall returns the parts to the position shown in Figure 4.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in both forms of my invention, the oil-can is supported in a position such that the spout of the can is directed generally in the same direction as the forearm of the person using the can. This gives better control of the can during oiling and thereby reduces the amount of loss of oil. This arrangement also permits the use ofia. longerispout on the can, thus making it unnecessary in many cases to stop a machine 4 for the purpose of oiling it. Also, in both forms of m invention, the construction is a unitary structure which ma be quickly applied and removed without the use of tools or special devices. In both forms of the invention, the shank portion of the handle 5 which is secured within socket i is mounted normal to the plane of the base plate and therefore at right angles to the bottom wall of the can. By this arrangement, the spout I d of the can is arranged axially in line with the shank of the handle 5.

It is to be understood that whenever the term oil-can is used in the foregoing specification or in the attached claims, no limitation is intended as to the nature of the material to be dispensed; it may be any liquid, powder or other fluent material.

I claim:

1. An operator for an oil-can having a deflectable bottom wall and a cylindrical flange surrounding said bottom wall and provided with an in-turned bead formed around the lower edge of said flange, said operator comprising a pistolgrip handle, locking means carried by the shank portion of said handle and engaging the inner side of the bead on the flange of said can for supporting said can on said handle with the bottom wall thereof arranged at right angles to said shank portion, a pivotally mounted trigger positioned in front of the grip portion of said handle, and means operated by the movement of said trigger towards said handle for deflecting the bottom wall of said can.

2. An operator for an oil-can having a deflectable bottom wall and a cylindrical flange surrounding said bottom wall and provided with an in-turned bead formed around the lower edge of said flange, said operator comprising a circular base plate, locking means carried on the front of said plate for engaging the inner side of the bead on the flange of said can and supporting said can in contact with the front face of said plate, a pistol-grip handle mounted on the rear face of said plate with the shank of said handle normal to the plane of said plate, a pivotally mounted trigger positioned in front of the grip portion of said handle, and means operated by the movement of said trigger towards said handle for deflecting the bottom wall of said can.

3. An operator according to claim 2 wherein the pivotal support for said trigger is positioned within a cavity formed in said handle, and including a plunger mounted within the shank portion of said handle and extending beyond the front face of said base plate adjacent the center of the bottom wall of said can, and a connection between said trigger and said plunger for reciprocating said plunger.

4. An operator according to claim 2 wherein the pivotal support for said trigger is mounted on the front face of said base plate at a point removed from the center thereof, said trigger being formed of two arms, one arm extending towards the center of said base plate and being positioned to deflect the bottom wall of said can, and the second arm passing through a hole in said base plate near the center thereof and having its terminal portion arranged in front of the grip portion of said handle.

5. An operator for an oil-can having a deflectable bottom wall and a cylindrical flange surrounding saidbottom wall and provided with an in-turned bead formed around the lower edge of said flange, said operator comprising a circular base plate forming a seat for the beaded edge of 5 said flange, a circular flange on the front face of said plate for centering said bead on said plate, a plurality of locking fingers mounted on the front face of said plate inside of said cylindrical flange and engaging the inner face of said head for locking the can in contact with the front face of said plate, at least one of said fingers being mounted to be retracted from engagement with said bead for unlocking said can, a pistolgrip handle mounted on the rear face of said plate with the shank of said handle normal to the plane of said plate, a pivotally mounted trigger positioned in front of the grip portion of said handle, and means operated by the movement of said trigger towards said handle for deflecting the bottom wall of said can.

WILLIAM G. TEMPLETON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT Number Name Date 23,56( Feldes Apr. 1 2;1859 202,791 goilins Apr. 23',- 1-878 275,997 Qhape "in Apr; 11, 1883 My 20, 1834::

1,178,269 Schmidt Apr. 4, 1 915 1,630,846 Holst May 31, 1927 

